DRAFT Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Emerging Local Plan ...

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Runnymede were built on previously developed land, compared with 67% for the South East region and 65% for England ( 40) , this figure rose to 85% 2006‐2009. According to the National Land Use database Runnymede contains no previously developed vacant land or 1ha of vacant building. 7.21 Land contaminated as a consequence of previous or historical industrial use (e.g. landfill, chemical works, etc.) may pose a risk to the environment and human health. Once contaminated, a site may be seen as less favourable for further development due to residual risks and the cost of remediation. 7.22 Runnymede Borough Council has a duty to enable the remediation of contaminated land through the planning system (NPPF) and to maintain a register of statutory contaminated sites. Whilst Runnymede has no statutory contaminated sites to date (due to lack of resources to investigate potential areas), there are currently 430 areas (this value is constantly changing) of potentially contaminated land, in varying stages of investigation. The Council keeps a contaminated land register of statutory contaminated land as well as a list of areas of potential contaminated land to be investigated, and more data will become available as that work progresses. Mineral resources in Runnymede 7.23 Mineral workings make an important contribution to the needs of society by supplying materials for the building and construction industry. However they can give rise to serious environmental impacts both in terms of the extraction activity itself and the heavy traffic connected with transportation. This conflict is apparent in areas such as Runnymede where mineral workings lie within or close to urban areas but it depends on how reclamation is managed. 7.24 Table 50 provides a summary of the key environmental issues and challenges that have been identified as having particular relevance to the Council’s emerging Local Plan on this receptor. Those issues and challenges have been identified from the baseline environmental information as well as through discussion with various officers within the Council and external statutory and non‐statutory consultees. Table 50 – ER03 Summary Key Environmental Issues and Challenges Receptor [ER03] Land and Soil Resources Key Issues, challenges and potential responses for the Local Plan Summary: The natural landscape of the borough is characterised by the Thames Basin Lowland and urban fringe location that maintains a rural appearance including tree and woodland cover. The underlying geology is a mixture of light clay or sandy soils, gravels in the Thames Valley, and poor sandy, acidic solids in the heath and woodlands areas in the west of the borough. Issues and Challenges: There is scope (albeit small) for revitalisation of town centres and supporting infrastructure, including transportation, to affect the quality and usability of land and soil, and the accessibility of mineral resources. However, Runnymede has no good quality agricultural land, in this respect the ability of the LP to directly affect the land and soil receptor is low. The borough’s geology determines it is one of the few locations in Surrey for mineral resources. Primarily this consists of sands and gravels, which are considered an important input to the Surrey economy and protected by the Surrey Minerals Plan (2011). Possible LP Response: The LP could bring forward policies to prioritise the minimisation of the reduction in primary aggregates use in development and supporting infrastructure. Policies could be included that requires aggregate developers to adopt a phased approach to working mineral resource locations and planning the integration open space and leisure activities that provide additional capacity for climate change events such as flooding. How LP Responded: The LP makes no specific references to land and soil resources. 40 http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planningbuilding/planningstatistics/livetables/landusechange/. Page | 100 Runnymede BC FINAL Sustainability Appraisal Report – Feb 2013
Evolution of Baseline condition in Absence of Plan 7.25 As Runnymede continues to experience pressure for further development, impact on land, soil and mineral resources are inevitable. This may adversely affect land by changing its use from agriculture to urban and thus its usability for food production. Runnymede has no good quality agriculture land or soils, so it is unlikely that development approved in Runnymede will have a significant adverse affect on this receptor. On the other hand in terms of contaminated land, development can be the vehicle to initiate its clean‐up and restoration. Pressure to develop will inevitably increase the use of resources particularly mineral resources and thus increasing adverse effects on the environment that can result from extraction. 7.26 It is unreasonable to think that all contaminated land within the borough will be eradicated or that large volumes of contaminated land will be gained, there will therefore be limited evolution of the baseline as only small pockets of contaminated land will be encountered and remediated. Potential Impact Pathways LSMR1 Reduction of land through development 7.27 Pressure for development may increase the removal of land that is currently open to be developed for other purposes. LSMR2 Reduction of soil through development and potential contamination 7.28 The pressure for development may require the removal of soil for development. If this is on land that has not been previously developed it may result in adverse impacts. In contrast there is little high quality soil in the borough, and therefore a reduction in agricultural opportunities is unlikely. LSMR3 Pressure to increase use of mineral resources 7.29 The increased use of minerals resources increases damage to the local environment within Runnymede at extraction locations. It also has wider implications in the collection of these resources for removal such as increased traffic contributing to a reduction in air quality as well as increasing number of areas needing reclamation. Consideration of Policy and its Alternatives on ER03 Policy LP01: Strategy for the Location of Development 7.30 With regard to the SEA (Appendix 4) the impact of the policy approaches is mixed and neutral. This does not give a definitive view on the preferred alternative. The effect on the individual pathways does not highlight any particularly adverse impacts. 7.31 Having regard to the conclusion of SA in Appendix 3, overall, all the policy approaches have a mixed beneficial impact. It is noted that the impact on the air quality is adverse (RSF 16), whilst it also has a negative impact on the desire to conserve and enhance the region’s biodiversity (RSF 19). 7.32 LP01 overall does not have a significantly different impact to the alternatives. Policy LP02: Housing Provision and Distribution 7.33 With regard to the SEA the policy option LP02 is neutral; while the other policy options have an uncertain through to a significantly adverse impact. This impact is illustrated by the impact on the pathways where alternatives LP02‐A2(b), LP02‐A2(c) and LP02‐A3(a) have a particular impact on LSMR 1,2 and 3 uncertain However, this reflects the impact on land use, soil and the increase on resources arising from different scales of development. This assessment has implications for the alternatives LP02‐A2(b), LP02‐A2(c) and LP02‐A3(a) that have a particularly detrimental impact LP02 performs more positively and has less impact 7.34 Having regard to the conclusion of SA in Appendix 3, overall, all the policy approaches have a neutral impact. It is noted that the impact on RSF 14 (the reuse of urban land) is undermined by the green field alternatives, whilst the impact on air quality is adverse (RSF 16) for all Page | 101 Runnymede BC FINAL Sustainability Appraisal Report – Feb 2013
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2013 DRAFT Sustainability Appraisal
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Draft Sustainability Appraisal Repo
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CONTENTS List of Tables ...........
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SECTION 8. [ER04] WATER RESOURCES A
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Local Plan Policy Context Conclusio
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Table 59 - ER04 - Water Resource an
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Commenting on this SAR Report Pleas
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Glossary of terms TERM Baseline Dat
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Section 1. Section 1 Introduction t
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Section 16 Conclusions 1.17 This se
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Section 2. Legal and Statutory Requ
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effects on the environment of certa
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Box 1 ‐ Elements of an Environmen
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Table 2 - Assessment Chapter Compon
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Date Key stage in SA/SEA Effect on
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Section 3. Introduction Framework a
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3.16 Monitoring reports will be aug
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Figure 4 - Compatibility between SA
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Table 6 - Meeting the requirements
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Environmental Receptor ER03 Land an
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the SEA. Each policy and its altern
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Table 10 - Additive and interactive
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3.43 In terms of environment, asses
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Section 4. Assessment of RBC’s Lo
Page 49 and 50: LP Objective Strategic Policy Objec
Page 51 and 52: No. Policy LP04 Development in Egha
Page 53 and 54: Location Policy 2 (LP02) - Housing
Page 55 and 56: 4.41 The approach in Policy LP04 ac
Page 57 and 58: 4.56 Policy LP08 seeks to provide
Page 59 and 60: 4.73 To summarise, Policy SP03 prom
Page 61 and 62: 4.90 However, the policy appears to
Page 63 and 64: Policy and Alternatives Considered
Page 65 and 66: Section 5. Introduction [ER01] Natu
Page 67 and 68: Protecting and enhancing valued lan
Page 69 and 70: Sites of International Importance a
Page 71 and 72: SSSI Area (ha) Reason for designati
Page 73 and 74: Evolution of Baseline in Absence of
Page 75 and 76: scenario) will have a similar impac
Page 77 and 78: 5.63 LP07 overall in the SA conside
Page 79 and 80: Policy SP08 - Employment Developmen
Page 81 and 82: Cumulative Effects Assessment 5.100
Page 83 and 84: Section 6. Introduction [ER02] Welf
Page 85 and 86: European Nitrates Directive (1991)
Page 87 and 88: Figure 8 ‐ Projected Population i
Page 89 and 90: for community gain. Across the rang
Page 91 and 92: alternative to leave the site in th
Page 93 and 94: the policy requires all development
Page 95 and 96: 6.96 With regard to WHWB5 (opportun
Page 97 and 98: Section 7. Introduction [ER03] Land
Page 99: County 7.12 Surrey Waste Plan (2008
Page 103 and 104: through the appropriate re‐use of
Page 105 and 106: Policy SP07: Thames Basin Heaths Sp
Page 107 and 108: Table 52 - Suggested Monitoring of
Page 109 and 110: Section 8. Introduction [ER04] Wate
Page 111 and 112: Local 8.11 Strategic Flood Risk Ass
Page 113 and 114: Figure 11 - Source Protection Zone
Page 115 and 116: 8.32 An increase in population with
Page 117 and 118: the final development schemes. Ther
Page 119 and 120: encourages proposals that enhance t
Page 121 and 122: Cumulative Effects Assessment 8.87
Page 123 and 124: Section 9. Introduction [ER05] Air
Page 125 and 126: 9.11 The Air Quality Strategy for E
Page 127 and 128: to 23 μg/m 3 in 2011 55 . It is as
Page 129 and 130: 9.45 LP02 overall in the SA conside
Page 131 and 132: 9.67 The overall conclusion of the
Page 133 and 134: Policy SP08: Employment Development
Page 135 and 136: and from ER06 Climate change. Syner
Page 137 and 138: The dispersion software used to mod
Page 139 and 140: not been approved yet and can be re
Page 141 and 142: Table 66 - Suggested Monitoring of
Page 143 and 144: Section 11. Introduction [ER06] Cli
Page 145 and 146: 11.8 The Directive requires buildin
Page 147 and 148: Local to reduce distance travelled
Page 149 and 150: 11.36 By the 2050s, it has been pro
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is a reflection of the scale of dev
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the receptors, but the impact of th
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11.83 SP06 has a neutral effect on
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No. Policy Impact 66 Location Polic
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Suggested Monitoring Regime Table 7
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Section 12. Introduction [ER07] Mat
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12.14 With regard to waste manageme
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(MEW2). However, the impact is unce
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Policy SP06: Tourism, Recreation an
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Cumulative Effects Assessment 12.67
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Section 13. Introduction [ER08] Bui
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Runnymede Urban Area Character Appr
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13.29 Having regard to the conclusi
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13.52 Having regard to the conclusi
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Table 83 - Summary of Local Plan Po
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Section 14. Introduction [ER09] His
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Table 87 - ER09 Summary Key Environ
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whilst it also has a negative impac
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14.53 LP07 overall in the SA consid
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14.74 SP06 has an adverse effect on
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Section 15. Introduction [ER10] Lan
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15.11 Soil Strategy for England (20
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whilst it also has a negative impac
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Policy SP01: Green Belt Areas 15.44
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Section 16. Introduction Conclusion
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16.14 Cumulative effects are consid
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covers the capacity to create oppor
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Provision of sustainable homes for
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16.70 Policy LP03 and its two alter
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of urban developments and supportin
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of their natural beauty). Runnymede
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SEA and SA Conclusion of the Local
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the Core Strategy have identified s
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16.154 The overall conclusion in th
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16.173 The approach in LP07‐A1 is
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16.191 Alternative SP02 ‐ A1 does
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16.210 The overall conclusion of SE
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16.232 The overall conclusion of SA
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team saw a positive effect due in p
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Section 17. Data Used Data, Data Un
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Section 18. Plan Uncertainty and Ri
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Section 19. Monitoring 19.1 The SEA
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Section 20. Next Stages 20.1 A key
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